FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT HAKEEM OLAJUWON - PAGE 5

Students of marketing should study the draft lottery as pure genius. The NBA recognized an embarrassment (teams intentionally losing games to chase the No. 1 pick) and corrected it with an annual game show. It was fun, unpredictable and spontaneous--the definition of good television. Now the lottery has outlived its purpose. So much has changed since NBA owners added the lottery in 1984. There was real concern at the time the Houston Rockets tanked games to position themselves to draft Hakeem Olajuwon.

Although Hakeem Olajuwon's heartbeat returned to normal, he remained hospitalized as doctors performed further tests. The Houston Rockets center developed an irregular heartbeat Tuesday after drinking a glass of cold water at halftime. He was given medication to try to stabilize his heart, but when that was not successful, doctors used a defibrillator Wednesday to shock his heart back to normal, said Dr. Bruce Moseley, a team physician. Moseley said Olajuwon, 33, could be released from The Methodist Hospital on Thursday.

Sam Smith's column "NBA foreigners in debt to Kukoc" (Tribune, Oct. 7) was a little offensive. It seems he equates "foreign" with white or European. He talks of Toni Kukoc as if he were the first quality foreign player in the recent era. Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were ahead of Kukoc and had more dominant careers. Smith was not the only one to make this mistake. Kukoc himself listed a group of players who "made a difference" while failing to mention any non-European players.

The eyes don't have it Baseball lore is replete with stories of strange injuries and odd trips to the disabled list, but it's hard to top what Giants right-hander Keiichi Yabu did to himself Saturday. Yabu sustained scratches to both corneas when an exercise band snapped off and struck him in the face. A new Manning New York Giants Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning plans to marry his college sweetheart, The New York Post reported Saturday. Abby McGrew's father told The Post that Manning and his daughter would tie the knot later this month.

Hakeem Olajuwon was described as embarrassed, disappointed and still hurting Friday after backing out of Saturday's heavily hyped one-on-one matchup with Orlando Magic center Shaquille O'Neal at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort. The Houston Rockets center pulled out of the $1 million contest Friday because of a back injury sustained last week while lifting weights, promoters said. His condition was improving and he'd hoped to play Thursday. But the pain limited his lateral movements during a workout later in the day, said promoter Leonard Armato.

The Houston Rockets are 14-1, and few of the victories have been as easy as Friday night's. Charles Barkley had 18 points and nine rebounds, Hakeem Olajuwon had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Clyde Drexler had 15 points and five assists as visiting Houston defeated Boston 120-94. "It was just the way you draw it on the board," Drexler said. "We came out strong and stayed there." "It was a relief not to have a nail-biter." Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "We need to keep our concentration level and intensity level high."

Scottie Pippen didn't expect to feel comfortable immediately with the Houston Rockets' offense. But he didn't expect to be a virtual spectator 22 games into the season, either. Pippen is getting more frustrated as his offensive production diminishes. The Rockets mostly pound the ball inside to Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon rather than run the ball, which the former Bulls star prefers. "I'm frustrated," Pippen said after Sunday's loss to the Suns. "Playing the minutes I'm playing, I'm not involved in the offense.

Scottie Pippen on "ER": One of the things that makes Pippen a great basketball player is his ability to bring to his team elements from so many positions: small forward, power forward, shooting guard, point guard and mad-dog defender. With tonight's episode of "ER" (9 p.m., WMAQ-Ch. 5), the show that is to television ratings what Pippen's Bulls are to the NBA this year, Pippen adds another line to his resume: bit-part player. Preview tape of Pippen in his "ER" role, as himself, shows that as an actor he's a pretty versatile ballplayer.

Believe it or not, the Houston Rockets' current thrill show all started with Vernon Maxwell. The Rockets are lined up for a repeat performance in the NBA Finals partly because of what the troubled guard did early in the playoffs: He left the team. These Rockets, gunning for their second straight NBA title, have an identity besides Hakeem and the Olajuwonians, partly because Maxwell isn't around to offer his inconsistencies that ranged from 3-for-18 shooting to winning shots at the final buzzer.

Pat Riley's search to bring young help to the Miami Heat is officially underway. Riley, the Heat coach and president, was in State College, Pa., on Sunday, watching Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon play against Penn State. Gordon scored 26 points, but the 18th-ranked Hoosiers lost to the Nittany Lions 68-64 in overtime. Riley is expected in Miami on Monday night when the Heat plays host to the Los Angeles Clippers. Shaquille O'Neal's two blocked shots in the Suns' 94-87 win over the Spurs made him the third player in NBA history to have 26,000 points, 11,500 rebounds and 2,500 blocks.